The Tribune

By Fay Simmons

Tribune Business Writer

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian air traffic controllers say they will be signing an industrial agreement shortly after major issues in the contract negotiations were resolved.

Hinsey McKenzie, the Bahamas Air Traffic Controllers Union's president, said: “As you're aware, we were dealing with our industrial agreement for the past year. It was only supposed to take one month. It's now more than 13 months; 14 months later.

"The issue was financial. It dragged on and on and on until up to April of this year when we met with the Prime Minister. We expect to sign soon. Hopefully they will get out of the meeting and call me and say: 'Well, we agreed, so come in and get paperwork done."

Mr McKenzie attributed the delay in finalising the industrial agreement to executives not agreeing to extend the salary scale. He added that the union had settled the issue of salary and allowance amounts earlier in the negotiations, but hit a stalemate when discussing the scale.

He said: “We were dealing with percentage. The Prime Minister said no, let's deal with increments. We agreed with him; we went with increments. But the problem is the chairman and her [directors] did not want to extend the scale. That was a problem with the industry agreement; that's why we're still waiting. But late yesterday, they have agreed to extend the scale.

“The scale was the problem. So because people were at the top of the scale, they would only get a lump sum instead of getting an additional increase with their increment. That's why we told them we couldn't accept it. We have accepted the salary, we accepted the allowance, but the only thing that was the problem was extension of the scale.”

Mr McKenzie said the union signed the last industrial agreement even though it did not extend the salary scale, but could not allow a new deal to proceed without amending the terms accordingly. He added that with the anticipated increase in air traffic over the coming months, Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) would be in "trouble" if negotiations were not successfully completed.

“We could not accept. They come back again, wanting to give us the same thing, which was foolishness. No salary increase because they want to keep you on top of scale," Mr McKenzie said. “We seem to be pretty much in the driver's seat for now. But if it was not done, you can expect some trouble at that airport. Reason being, the deputy prime minister is saying at least nine new airlines coming in, nine.

"So if you having more airlines come here, and that ain’t even the executive jets which comes in here for the winter....... So they know what's coming, believe me, they know what's coming. I expect my contract to be signed without any problems coming forward so no further ado about that.”

Nadia Vanderpool, president of the Union of Public Officers, which represents line staff at the National Insurance Board (NIB), said both management and the Board appear reluctant to resolve numerous issues it has raised. She added that a meeting is scheduled to further discussions with executives, and is hopeful some matters will be resolved.

Ms Vanderpool said: “We, too, are experiencing issues with our executive management with them not seeking to resolve many of our grievances and issues within our membership body. And it's the simplest of issues. We're not understanding exactly what it is; why we can get these issues resolved.”

“We have a meeting schedules and we are very hopeful, anticipating that after this meeting we will get the matters that are now presently on the table resollved. Because we have another list to go we have to do it in phases. That's how many grievances we have…we can do it all at one time.”